The destination of the Division Three title in the Chelmsford & District Table Tennis League couldn’t be tighter and it will be decided this week when Hatfield Peverel B (116 points) face OCs C (114 points).
OCs C, led by a Nat Ravlic hat-trick, beat Maldon C 7-3. Maldon’s Dawn Baldry made her mark with a fine 3-1 (11-8, 5-11, 11-4, 11-7) win over Daniel Berry, whilst team-mate Brian Riedling defeated Frank Hodge 3-2 (11-8, 11-5, 7-11, 8-11, 11-6).
The leaders Hatfield Peverel B also won 7-3. Gordon Fairchild’s trio of wins gave them the ascendancy against Danbury E. The hard-hitting Fairchild’s five-game success against Peter Hance was hard-earned and he eventually eased home 11-4, 11-9, 0-11, 9-11, 11-6.
In Division One, third-placed OCs A (88 points) will need to produce a very strong finish to overhaul Maldon A (94 points) to secure second spot. They beat Bocking A 6-4. The big shock here was Andy Holmes’ five game win over Brandon Crouchman (9-11, 11-7, 5-11, 11-3, 11-5). Kevin Gowlett did well to beat Michael Andrews over five fluctuating games (11-13, 11-9, 11-7, 3-11, 11-7).
Rawreth & Hullbridge A are also in the running for second-place and their rearranged match against Maldon A will have a major impact on who eventually finishes as runners-up.
In Division Two, relegated Elmtree Excalibur C gave their team-mates in the B side a decent examination before they succumbed 6-4. The C team’s Paul Sturton and the B side’s Lee McHugh and Tony Hallett all won twice. Lee McHugh defeated Paul Sturton 3-2 (12-10, 9-11, 11-9, 10-12, 13-11) in one of the closest games of the season.
In Division Four, the bottom side – Danbury K did well to draw against Danbury J. Terry Hyland led the way with a hat-trick of wins over Alan Dadswell, Dave Hancox and Rob Kneale. The canny Norman Hayes used all of his experience to get the better of Alan Dadswell 3-2 (9-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-7, 12-10). Elmtree Excalibur D beat OCs E 8-2. Neil Thompson (three wins), Dave Moles (two wins) and Steve Siggs (two wins) all played their part in this victory.
Runaway Division Five champions Danbury M (144 points) beat Highwood A 6-4 despite only having two players. Dan Anderson (40 wins out of 42 – 95 % ) and Dan Richardson (33 wins out of 35 – 94 %) were both undefeated in their singles encounters.
Danbury L (Alan Shrimpton, John Knights and Terry Hyland), who are second, beat Chelmsford F 6-4 although all three of their players drew a blank against Richard Baxter. Danbury L (112 points) remain strong favourites to finish second although they still have to play third-placed Chelmsford F (107 points).
Steve Kerns (press & publicity officer)
April 13, 2015